For many of us, we define the holiday season as one of the few times that we see the family and friends that we care about. The weeks, months, and sometimes years of separation can make reconnection that much more special. On the other hand, when reconnection doesn’t happen, whether due to distance, loss, or circumstance, it can be heartbreaking. The weight of grief and the sense of separation diminishes our spirit. Today, as we look to the life of Christ, we will consider the pains of a different separation and the lengths God will go to seek and save the lost, and then, celebrate their reconciliation.

Toddlers are curious, with their favorite question being "WHY?" As we grow older, we continue to ask, "WHY?" but the weight and seriousness of the issues we're trying to understand are more profound. At one point or another, we've all pondered the question, "WHY JESUS?" Why did He come? Why was He needed? Why does He matter? Fortunately for us, Jesus welcomed that question and was more than willing to provide an answer, and it's the answer we want to look at today.

Today's reflection confronts a daily battle taking place behind the scenes; it's a tension we all face - humility versus pride. Those are our options, and one always wins out. We all pursue convenience to some degree and living in today's age, it is easy to experience. Everything we could ever want or desire is at our fingertips. Convenience is the ultimate value in our culture. But Jesus offers a different way of living - defined by a servant's heart.

This week we turn our attention to exploring the purpose of Jesus and why He entered our broken world and made His home among us. By understanding His purpose, we gain a greater appreciation and clarity on our own. Before we begin, I want to pause and provide space for you to pray that God will bring clarity to your calling and how it's attached to an encounter with His love.

Consider for a moment the abusrdity that for centuries we’ve been celebrating the birth of someone who at the time arrived to no fanfare in a small farming village in the Middle East. Somehow, this individual who grew up and became a simple carpenter changed the course of human history. No one has had a more significant impact on shaping this world and culture than Jesus Christ. But, why Jesus? What makes Him so remarkable and why does His life bring us such hope as believers? What we do with Jesus matters.

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Often, we view these words of Jesus only through the lens of salvation and what awaits us in heaven. Yes, it encompasses those aspects, but there is something deeper Jesus wants us to understand. Jesus isn’t talking about a place we will go to someday; He’s speaking about a person who wants to be in a life-giving relationship with us every day.

Today, we encounter Jesus talking to a large crowd, after extending grace to a woman caught in adultery. Those who dropped their stones and left have returned, perplexed by this radical display of love. It is in this moment that Jesus speaks about a light that brings hope to the darkness in our world, and at times, inside our hearts.

What makes Jesus our hope, not only in the holiday season but every day and in every moment, rests in His heart, character, and nature. We don’t want to run past this profound truth, so this week we’re spending our time together reflecting on the different ways Jesus describes Himself in the Gospels. Yesterday, we considered how our spiritual hunger, those deep longings for meaning, purpose, and value, find their ultimate satisfaction in Christ Jesus - the Bread of Life. Today, we want to remind ourselves that we all need the intentional and compassionate care of a Savior, and we need look no further than Jesus, the One known as the Good Shepherd.

Today, we encounter Jesus right after He pulled off a culinary miracle by feeding 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. With their hunger pains gone, the crowd marveled at what transpired. Having a captivated audience, Jesus took the opportunity to speak about a different type of hunger and thirst - this time a spiritual one.

As a parent, this is harder to swallow for my kids' sake than my own. I wish they didn't have to face trials; I wish I could protect them from the broken and ugly parts of the world and keep them in a bubble of goodness. But that isn't a reality, and as I read today's passage, I recognize my job as a parent is not to save my kids from pain; it is to help them walk through the pain that life will inevitably bring. It is to help them learn and grow through the good and bad moments and ultimately remember they are loved. But isn't this what Christ calls us to do as people, not just parents? God designed us to be in community with one another and walk through life together. 

If we are not careful, our prayer requests can morph into strict demands. We stand our ground and pester God for insight. We insist He changes our circumstances according to our time frame and in the way we see fit…

God will always race to our rescue. When we call out to God, He doesn't hesitate to rush to our side. Even if we don't feel His presence right away, we can trust that God is close to us in our heartbreak (Psalm 34:18). It's important to remember that our emotions don't often reflect our spiritual reality. Our feelings tell us warped stories about God; they will tell us He is far from us and that He doesn't have a loving reason for letting us experience hurt. They will say He is slow to save us, even though His help always comes at the right time (2 Peter 3:9).

“How did you get here?”

This is what I imagine the angel at heaven’s gate asking when this former thief showed up in heaven. How could this man marked by sin up until his death suddenly be allowed in heaven?

I'm a chronic snoozer. It doesn't matter how long I have slept, how many alarms I have set, or the location of my alarm clock. 99.9% of the time, I hit the snooze button. In college, I bought a round alarm clock that vibrated and would roll off the bedside table. You had to get up and locate the rolling alarm clock to turn the alarm off. Still, I snoozed.

Goodness is difficult to define if you truly think about it. You could ask 100 people to define goodness, and you will get 100 different answers. But one crucial lesson we can all learn is that goodness can exist even when it does not feel like it is present. This can be a struggle for a lot of us as we are conditioned to associate good things with positive feelings such as joy and excitement. But if goodness were tied to emotions, it would be inconsistent and shaky.

As we had never attended church regularly as a family, I couldn't imagine what Port City Church would come to mean to us and for us. So far from home and more seekers than believers, we were reserved, watchful, quiet consumers. Did we fit in? Were we "church goers" now? Did that label fit? Did we feel that sense of belonging in this new place?

When was the last time you heard some good news? I mean, real good news? The type of news that gets your heart racing, or the type of good news that once you hear it you cannot think of anything else?

A debate has been raging through the ages: real vs. artificial Christmas tree? After what happened to several friends, you can count me firmly in the artificial camp. A few years back, our friends purchased a “perfect” Christmas tree at a local lot. They took it home, adorned it with all their ornaments, and started placing gifts beneath it…

Bad reality television shows are one of my guilty pleasures. Even though I know a good portion of the "reality" I'm watching is scripted, I still tune in. It's the train wreck principle at play - you know it's a mess, but you can't help but watch. As the drama unfolds, the chaos in my own life suddenly doesn't look so bad…

$31,258,012,754,125

As I type these words, that total serves as the US National Debt. Correction. That's a lie. It just went up 4 million dollars in the amount of time it took me to type out my first sentence…